Cultivating Gratitude: Litany of Gratitude

November 19, 2018

Chris proposed to me by reading me a letter he wrote based on my favorite scripture verse, Phil 4:4-9.  This line of scripture opens with this statement:

Think about these things whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

This line of scripture over the years turned into a prayer method that I use at specific moments of my life.
Moments such as:

  • When the abundance of God’s gifts is overwhelming me and my heart is to the point of bursting.  I turn to God with my own litany of thanksgiving for the gifts of my life.
  • When life is tough and feels dark, and I need to remind myself of the gifts of my life so I can see God’s light.  It helps me get unstuck.
  • When I am questioning if I am making a difference, I write a litany of thanks naming the ways I’ve seen God at work in my ministry and in the lives of people I accompany.  Naming God’s work is a way of pushing back the evil one tempting me into feeling spreading the Good News is impossible.

No matter where you might be right now, I can think of no better week for us to write our own litany of gratitude than Thanksgiving week. In many ways, it’s like looking at the Psalms we talked about last week and creating your own Psalm of praise. So that’s your challenge this week, to pick up a pen and write your litany of gratitude.

At your table on Thanksgiving day, your family and friends could sing out your collective litany of gratitude by letting each person name what they are thankful for aloud or by writing it on a piece of paper.

And last but not least, let us not forget the words penned by St. Ignatius called the Prayer of Generosity that invites us to turn the generosity of God into action in our own lives.

Download a printable Prayer of Generosity prayer card here.

 

Cultivating Space for God Together

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.

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